Q. Everytime I drain the water from the bathtub upstairs the bathroom sink in the basement starts to badly overflow. But I could leave water running in basement sink and it drains O.K. I snaked out the main drain and it still backs up out the sink after taking Bath. It does not back up through main floor drain at all. Need help with this one.

A. Run the snake the opposite direction. You are now running to towards the street. Run it towards the pipe coming from the upstairs. When you opened the cleanout plug, was it full of water? If not, the blockage was from that point back and not from that point to the street. Most people assume it is from where ever they are to the street so they miss this type of problem. Alternatively, you could take off some pipes and go from there down. Perhaps from the bathtub trap down. Perhaps from the bathroom sink down.

(No Chosen Answer)

Q. I have a clogged toilet i have used plunger with no results what kind of chemical drain cleaner can be used for clogged toilet?

A. Need to have cleaned by professional. Sorry. You could try a eel made for toilets sold at hardware stores. Are you using the plunger 6-8 firm plunges?

(No Chosen Answer)

Q. I've got a small retail building that is rented out. The renter is in the process of remodeling in order to open a store. When they run alot of water in the sink, water would flow back out under the commode. I put a drain cleaning machine in the 4" cleanout hole. The cable went in a few feet beyond the bend and then stopped. I spun it, and the cleaning head broke off. I called a plumber. He looked down the cleanout hole with a scope and saw a brick in the main sewer line, along with my broken cleaning head. He could not get them out, and said I was on my own. The sewer line is under a concrete pad. I broke up a 2' hole in the pad over the blockage and dug down to the cast iron sewer pipe. We've had 6" of rain this week, and the hole fills up with water. I can't dig out the mud that's at the bottom of the hole around the pipe, but I'm pretty sure that I can scoop it out after removing the 12" of standing water that is in the hole with a shop-vac. How can I open up the cast iron sewer pipe to get the brick out? About 2' under the concrete pad I found a Y shaped cleanout hole that had a metal plug. There is also the cleanout hole that I and the plumber used to get access to the blockage. The brick is between the 2 cleanout holes. I have an oxy/acet cutting torch, if that's what it would take to open up the pipe. There is also 220 volt service at the location, and I can stick weld the sewer line back together. I plan on filling the hole I dug with gravel. I filled up a 5-gallon bucket 7 times with the material that I'm digging out, that gives you an idea of the size of the hole. I still need to dig further, as only the top of the sewer is exposed.

A. I feel you will need to lead in a coupling or bell fitting where you cut the pipe.The pipe needs to be cut straight( called the spigot end) The bell will need to be sealed with about 5 feet of oakum then pour hot lead in to seal then you will need to hammer in the led as it will shrink after cooling.There is a cold pack which is a lead wool that is used in some localities where permissible. Hope this helps.

(No Chosen Answer)

Q. Hi, I had never had problems with our dryer vent at my townhouse while I lived there for the past 6 years. Two months ago we rented the townhouse to a couple. 3 weeks ago we heard the water sloshing sound when the dryer was on and the tenants’ clothes wouldn't get dried. We called the dryer vent cleaning crew and he was not able to fix the issue. We called Roto Rooter and the technician was able to drain out 50 gallons of water from the dryer vent and the dryer was working okay. But just a week later, the water sloshing sound returned and dryer vent is filled with water again. What could be the problem here? It is the vent itself leaking water? Or is it the dryer that causing the issue? What is the proper fix? Our dryer vent is under the ground from inside house to the side of the front door. It is only about 12 feet in length. The flap on the vent cover is working properly. We live in Southern California so it is not that cold. Thanks in advance for your help. Sam

A. From the volume of ater and the fact your vent is undergrounf for art of it's run, I'd say gound water or rain water has found a path into your vent line.Short of ripping out the underground section of vent lineis there any way to re-route a new vent line to the outside and stay ABOVE the slab or floor? You might check if any down spouts are emptying out close to the house near the vent line-an extention on the downspout to route water away from the house may help, but I think your underground vent line has rusted or cracked and is letting water into it.

(No Chosen Answer)

Q. I just had full Central A/C (compressor, air handler and duct work) replaced last year. My unit stopped working and the service man said it was not under warranty since it was the drain line was plugged. Shouldn't that have been cleaned when the unit was installed? Or does debris clog up that soon? How much would cleaning a drain line normally cost?

A. If my drain line gets plugged i have a pan under the unit to catch the water either change the filter more often or buy a better quality filter the charge to clean the drain line is a service call

(No Chosen Answer)

Q. I had a proffesional duct cleaning company brush the ducts, fog the system, clean the coils and fan in air handler unit, and there is still odor when system is on. Is there any deodorizer or air sanitizer on natural basis?

A. Mix a handfull of baking soda with a glass of vinegar and either pour/spray it over the coils. Let it run into the evaporator tray also and down the drain hose. Will freshen and deodorize.

(No Chosen Answer)

Q. We had house remodeled a few years back. And we've been having trouble with the bathroom drainage backing up. We think the contractor had a plumber that didnt know entirely what he was doing. There is a shower, bath, toilet, and faucet in this bathroom. And every so often they clog up. And everything is interconnected. When you try to plunge say the shower drain it effects the bathtub and toilet or vice versa. Same thing with the kitchen. We had it remodeled. For example, if I put a stopper in the left side of the sink and put a pot of water down the right side of the sink the stopper will pop up and the water will drain on that side. Something is wrong with the pressure or something. Any help appreciated. On a side note: I havent seen the faucet in the bathroom backup. It might not be connected with the rest of the system but I dont know. I should add that the drainage in the other shower works perfectly. And so does the toilet. Its only in the bathroom that was remodeled. I was only noting that the sink in the kitchen acts that way when water is put down the opposite side.

A. Dave, The plumber probably did a perfectly fine good job. The thing is this... If all or most of your floor level drains & toilet(s) are backing up & you're hearing gurgling noises in the various drains, that is evidence of your main sewer line (your Lateral line) that runs from your house, out to where it connects to the public main wheather that be into an easement or out into the street is blocked up and needs to be snaked. If you were to get a good, local, competent, & reputable sewer & drain cleaning service to come over & snake your lateral, I do believe your problems will be over. That's what I would do at this point. Good luck.

(No Chosen Answer)

Q. I've always rented carpet cleaners and have never hired a professional to do it. What, if any, are the benefits of hiring the professionals, aside from saving time & sweat? Do they really do a better job?

A. As a contractor who has done both, I won't address your Q in a compromise, strictly. What I will offer is this. Stains, especially from fluids,,,IE: Coffee, Soda, etc. do not stay in the carpet fibers alone. They travel, seep, drain to, the padding underneath. That padding is essentially a sponge. When you wet a carpet to clean it, you also wet it usually, deep enough to wet the padding underneath. Then as the drying process happens, that stain, or residue left behind, can, and often does, leach back up, into the carpet fibers, creating the stain again. Steam cleaning, professionally is better, than rented equipment, which you basically pour water and cleaning solutions into. Depending on the type of carpet, and the stain, professionals willl also often use what is called a Bonnet, which pretty much is a surface, fiber cleaning method, with a machine, that doesn't SOAK the carpet, but with the Bonnet pad, will draw out the stain onto the Bonnet. Certainly that can't work in all instances, but is widely used commercially. Rev. Steven

(No Chosen Answer)